Mystery – Lit World Interviews

SPOTLIGHT: Golda’s Hutch by Robert Steven Goldstein.

Synopsis:
How well do you really know the people you encounter every day? Award-winning author Robert Steven Goldstein’s gripping psychological thriller “Golda’s Hutch” (March 11, 2025, Deft Heft Books) explores what we hide from the world versus what we reveal, the lengths we’ll go to keep our secrets buried—and the unpredictable steps we take when our innermost lives are threatened.

Craig Schumacher is not your typical executive. With a gentle spirit and a morning ritual that includes serene meditation alongside his cherished rabbit, Golda, Craig values connection over competition. Yet, beneath his calm, polished exterior lies a secret he’s worked hard to keep hidden—one that could change everything.

Enter Byron Dorn—Craig’s employee and chaos incarnate. Crude, impulsive, and driven by envy, Byron is elated when he and his wife stumble upon information that he believes could unravel Craig’s life. But when Byron ropes another couple into his schemes, things become a lot more complicated.

Because Craig isn’t the only one with a secret. And as the stakes rise, everyone will have to decide what they’re willing to sacrifice to get what they want—and when they’re willing to walk away.

Set against the dynamic backdrop of San Francisco, this gripping psychological novel weaves a complex tapestry of deception, envy, desire, politics, and power.

Get Golda’s Hutch at Amazon , Barnes&Noble or and Bookshop.org.

A BIT MORE

to find out.

Interview with Max Bowen on Citywide Blackout, February 2025: Read Interview

https://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/goldas-hutch/

Praise

“A scintillating take on marital and workplace dramas with compelling characters and devilish surprises…Goldstein’s precise, elegant prose cleverly takes its time revealing his characters’ secret desires, building suspense for fun to come…when readers are alone with each character’s thoughts, the author serves up something delicious.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“All the ways we hide our secrets from each other—and from ourselves—are on display in Robert Steven Goldstein’s latest and extremely entertaining novel, Golda’s Hutch. Moving between America’s cutthroat corporate boardrooms to kink-play in San Francisco’s BDSM world to mysticism as embodied by a titular, yoga-practicing rabbit, this delicate balancing act reveals, layer by layer, a thrilling and thought-provoking exploration of human nature and the boundaries of self-discovery. Goldstein’s prose elegantly entwines psychological tension, dark humor, and an unapologetically raw examination of human desires to create an unforgettable reading experience. For fans of psychological drama and literary fiction, Golda’s Hutch is an intelligent, compelling, and at times humorous narrative that is both thought-provoking and insightful. Highly recommended.”
—Madeleine Ivy, author of The Witchhammer

“Set in San Francisco, Golda’s Hutch explores the world of corporate machinations through the eyes of Craig Schumacher—an executive who puts the feelings of his employees over cold calculation and the hard-ass bottom line. Craig is also negotiating the risky shoals of his marriage to Shoshana, a professional dominatrix—while he desperately seeks a way to rechannel his penchant for sexual submission into a more sustainable lifestyle. Featuring a host of unique and well-developed characters, Golda’s Hutch gives the reader an eye-opening peek into a wide range of subjects, from the virtues of daily morning yoga practice and vegetarianism (replete with an impressive array of menu items) to the finer points of mortuary science and, of course, BDSM. A riveting page-turner that goes with white meat, red meat, or no meat at all.”
—Tom Szollosi, screenwriter for Star Trek: Voyager, Three O’Clock High, and The Incredible Hulk; author of the books The Space He Filled and The Last Master Outlaw; and professor of screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University.

Get Golda’s Hutch at Amazon , Barnes&Noble or and Bookshop.org.

About ROBERT STEVEN GOLDSTEIN

Robert is the author of five novels. His first, The Swami Deheftner, about problems that ensue when ancient magic and mysticism manifest in the twenty-first century, developed a small cult following in India. His second novel, Enemy Queen, a sexual comedy of manners set in a North Carolina college town, was a finalist in the category of cross genre fiction for the International Book Awards. Robert’s third novel, Cat’s Whisker, probes the perceived rift between science and spirituality; it was longlisted for the prestigious Chanticleer International 2021 SOMERSET Book Award for Literary and Contemporary Fiction. His fourth novel, Will’s Surreal Period, about the peripatetic machinations of a dysfunctional family, was longlisted for the Chanticleer International 2022 SOMERSET Book Award for Literary and Contemporary Fiction.

Golda’s Hutch is Robert’s fifth novel. He and his wife Sandy live in San Francisco; over their thirty-six years together, they’ve shared their home with an array of dogs, cats, rabbits, turtles, and parrots, each of whom has displayed a unique personality, startling intelligence, and a profound capacity for love. Robert has practiced yoga, meditation, and vegetarianism for over fifty years. Find out more about him at his website.

12 Questions with Arielle Emmett, author of The Logoharp: A Cyborg Novel of China and America in the Year 2121.

Synopsis

Named Finalist in the American Fiction Awards 2024 (category Science Fiction: Cyberpunk), The Logoharp describes the extraordinary journey of a young American journalist who chooses to work as an AI-driven propagandist—aka “Reverse Journalist” who foresees and reports the future for 22nd century China. Naomi is surgically transplanted, giving her extraordinary powers of foresight and physical strength. She hears voices in her Logoharp, a universal translator of all world languages, allowing her to take the pulse of global crowds, predicting and broadcasting political and social events with deadly precision.

But Naomi also hears discordant voices coming from unidentified sources. She knows only that mysterious voices sing to her of other worlds, other freedoms. When she’s tasked with finding a flaw in a State system that balances births and deaths —a system devised by a Chinese architect, Naomi’s lover who abandoned her in youth—she experiences “unintentional contradiction.” Suppressed emotions resurface, compelling her to rebel. Her decision has unexpected consequences for the men and women she loves, for her own body, and for the global societies she’s vowed to protect.

You can get The Logoharp: A Cyborg Novel of China and America in the Year 2121 at Amazon.

What genre do you write and why?

I guess I’m writing “literary” science fiction, but not the classic “alien invasion” or dystopic survivalist stuff. I write political and scientific extensions of our lives right now. Though I’m a great admirer of many classic science fiction writers—among them, Ray Bradbury, H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Liu Cixin, William Gibson, Ursula LeGuin, Nnedi Okorafor, and many others—generally I write, or extrapolate from current scientific and social trends and developments.

There are many books out there about dystopic futures. What makes yours different?

My novel is cross-cultural, scientific, and political. It deals with a verboten topic of family racism, the “disposal” of talent in middle and elder years, and severe media dysfunction on both sides of the Pacific.

In the novel, Naomi, despite her cyborg transformation, retains memories of her parents’ instructions about right and wrong. She attempts to find a grain of truth in a world where there is no objective reality and media becomes a blunt instrument of mass illusion. Her job is to entertain and quell rebellion in the masses. As Andrew Singer, a China expert, wrote in this review:

“The Logoharp is a story of love and horror. It is relatable and disturbing. The grave issues facing us now remain potent: AI, drugs (fentanyl), and climate catastrophe to name a few….these all converge as the novel slides down the ice.”

– Andrew Singer Talks about China.

How did you do research for your book?

In the last decades I’ve taught and reported from Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei, Jatinangor (Indonesia) and Nairobi, studying the Chinese influence on media, human rights, and local economies. Before that, I wrote a doctorate on the impact of news photography, measuring how images affect the minds of readers and viewers. In all, I spent about 12 years researching material for this book.

Which was the hardest character to write? The easiest?

Naomi, The Logoharp’s main character, was the most challenging. In this story, she starts as a vulnerable American journalist and morphs into an AI-driven media propagandist (aka “Reverse Journalist”) for China who eventually rebels. Why would she do this? She lives in a severely weakened “Ameriguo” in the 22nd century. Betrayed by a young lover, she believes that “Mother Country” (China), the dominant global power, will ensure peace and a harmonious existence for a troubled planet. She chooses to become an elite Reverse Journalist (RJ), someone who doesn’t write about current events. Instead, she “reports the future.” Surgically transformed, she’s equipped with a “Logoharp,” a neural instrument that doubles the size of her brain, enabling her to hear government instructions but also mysterious voices from sources she can’t identify. This sets up a conflict. Her human conscience never leaves her…and then she discovers a terrible secret in Harbin, Manchuria.

The easiest character to write was Lang Fei (Chinese for “waste of space”), based on an old Chinese doctor friend. He’s eccentric, lovable, possibly a spy, who tries to help Naomi and her friend Miranda discover the truth about a broken system. But all these characters have complexities and changes of mind.

In your book you make a reference to Reverse Journalism. How did you come up with this idea?

Attempts in the past to make journalism an independent monitor of power, to adhere to facts, to get multiple sides of a story, have morphed over the last decades into an obsession with prediction, partisan agenda and “winner-loser” celebrity. You can argue that journalists, in the service of media bosses, “write the future” by cherry picking facts, leaving out others, and predicting outcomes that reinforce the powerful. It wasn’t much of an extrapolation for me to create an AI-driven journalist, Naomi, whose job for China is to report the future as though it has already happened—and then it does. RJs, in effect, do not report current events. They are co-authors and guides to political and social events that have not yet come to pass.

In your book you state, “…the connection between corrupt and inept is very strong.” Why is that?

Naomi is speaking in her own voice to two of her bosses who become torturers, Dean Cheung and Dakota Sung. Both exploit the corrupt and incompetent actors around them to hoodwink the public. As Naomi says, “You are trained to exploit any gap in knowledge among the masses, leveraging their ignorance to mask the incompetence of officials all around you…”

Do you have another profession besides writing?

I’ve been a Fulbright scholar and researcher teaching at universities and law schools in the U.S., China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Africa.

What is your next project?

A sequel to The Logoharp. Naomi’s son grows up to be a pilot and later graduates as a military psychologist, refuting every value his mother stands for. Until he crashes, survives, and discovers the power of The Gyroscope.

What is the last great book you’ve read?

A toss-up between Liu Cixin’s The Three Body Problem and Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain.

Which authors inspired you to write?

Joyce Carol Oates, Ernest Hemingway, E.B. White, Madeleine L’Engle, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Styron, Han Su Yin, Ray Bradbury, John Hersey, Emily Bronte, Jane Austen, James Baldwin, H.G. Wells.

Any hobbies? Name a quirky thing you like to do.

I play piano, swim, lift weights, hike, plant trees and speak Mandarin, French and bad Spanish wherever I can.

If there is one thing you want readers to remember about you, what would it be?

That The Logoharp was both memorable and scary. As critic Andrew Singer described it:

“Emmett’s most biting social critique is not of the bland, authoritarian system that prevails a century from now. Rather, it is reproval of the America of today that let itself go and collapsed to such a system. The siren call of this lament is strong.”

You can get The Logoharp: A Cyborg Novel of China and America in the Year 2121 at Amazon.

Author Bio:

Arielle Emmett, Ph.D., is a writer, visual journalist and traveling scholar specializing in East Asia, science writing and human interest. She has been a Contributing Editor to Smithsonian Air & Space magazine and a Fulbright Scholar and Specialist in Kenya (2018-2019) and Indonesia (2015).

Her work has appeared in Mother Jones, The Scientist, Ms., Parents, Saturday Review, Boston Globe, Washington Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Detroit Free Press, Los Angeles Times Book Review and Globe & Mail (Canada), among others.

Arielle has taught at the International College Beijing, University of Hong Kong Media Studies Centre, Universitas Padjadjaran (West Java, Indonesia) and Strathmore University Law School (Nairobi). Her first science fiction novel, The Logoharp, about China and America a century from now, is part of a planned series on dystopian paths to utopian justice

.Find out more:

Website: https://leapingtigerpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560368953572
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arielle.emmett
X: https://x.com/aemmettphd
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216676221-the-logoharp

Praise:

“In Arielle Emmett’s fevered imaginings one great and ancient state is able to dominate the rest using an unbeatable secret weapon. Logoharps. Creatures able to see into the future, ensuring the state is always a step ahead. That is, until one rebels. Imagine Mona Lisa Overdrive meshed with The Wind-Up Girl. That’s the kind of sci-fi ride you’re in for with The Logoharp.”

– Kevin Sites, author of The Ocean Above Me

“The Logoharp offers a thought-provoking experience for those willing to confront unsettling truths. Some may find comfort in the familiar illusions of their own “Matrix,” while others may feel a revolutionary spark ignited within them. Ultimately, this novel serves as a mirror, reflecting each reader’s willingness to either accept the status quo or challenge it.”

– Literary Titan

“A hugely ambitious vision of a time in which America is a Chinese colony, almost anyone over 50 is sent off to die in a cozy ice-sled, and journalists are tasked with chronicling a future which then comes to pass. If you’re fascinated by technology and by glimpses of where we’ll be a hundred years from now, look to a new hero, Naomi. She’s the half-human cyborg reporter who believes in truth, foresees the future and, in desperation, rebels against it.”

–Beverly Gray (Executive Board Member, ASJA)

“In the world of The Logoharp, there is no security, not even an objective reality, only the reality created by journalism in reverse. Emmett’s’ novel creates a troubling vision of media that borders on propaganda in an AI-filled future.”

—Hamilton Bean, Ph.D., author of No More Secrets: Open Source Information and the Reshaping of US Intelligence (Praeger).

“Prepare to be swept away by an imperfect yet wildly relatable heroine. This ancient, futuristic world will make you angry, frustrated, hopeful, in love, and inspire an uprising within.”

—Grace Diida, L.L.M., Venture Capital Research

“Loved The Logoharp! It’s genuinely original, disturbing in a provocative way, occasionally funny and erotic, creative and well-paced — and I can’t get those ice sleighs out of my head! Naomi is one strange —and beguiling—heroine.”

—Laura Berman, feature writer, retired columnist, The Detroit News.

Entitled by Leonard H. Orr, a Review.

Amazon Synopsis:
To protect their lavish allowances, four charismatic sisters in their thirties try to seduce, cajole, and mislead their less well-off neighbor Benjamin, who their father has hired to investigate an attempt to smother him while he was in the hospital recovering from a car crash. Their feckless brother responds by threatening Benjamin with a shotgun, while their socialite mother falsely confesses to the crime. Trying to dominate everyone is their father, a wheeling, dealing, helicopter-flying entrepreneur who is afraid he might have hallucinated the smothering, even more afraid that it might have been real, and terrified that he might be losing control of his family and fortune. Desperate, he implements a devious and dastardly scheme . . .

Played out on the fashionable Connecticut shore and Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the shenanigans of the entitled rich don’t prevent Benjamin from finding the truth, and maybe even love.

Benjamin Gould is not anyone’s idea of a private investigator, nor is he one. Then why does his wealthy, and somewhat obnoxious neighbor force him into such a role without a way out? Benjamin grew up next door to the Cantling family. Yes, an entitled family. The obnoxious neighbor Charlie Cantling’s family of a wife, four daughters and a son to be exact. And entitled fits their behaviors with perhaps the exception of Ann, the middle of the pack, and the girl Benjamin’s been in love with for forever.

Many questions come to mind while reading Entitled, the literary debut of author Leonard H. Orr. is it a mystery? A suspense? A headache for Charlie of… entitled… wealthy brats? Or is it just one big confusion-fest for our man Benjamin Gould, who works for a cyber security company, in the office, and likes it that way?

The answer, as you will likely have determined, simply by my asking the questions, is yes. To which of the above? Just, yes.

As you read the first pages of chapter one of Entitled, the actual first question that comes to mind is… Is Charlie Cantling crazy? The second questions is… is Jody Gould crazy? The first encounter we see is between Charlie and the Gould brothers, Benjamin and Jody. A helicopter versus flare gun face-off in a backyard. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

Some of what shaped my opinion about Entitled:

The following comes back to those beginning questions.

Mystery- Who tried to murder Charlie Cantling, the patriarch of a wealthy family? Was it out of malice or mercy? Did it happen at all?

Headache- What will Benjamin find out when he begins asking questions of the Cantling family and which one will make the sacrifice to sleep with him to get the real reason he’s asking those questions? Will one of them try to murder him before he finds out too much?

Suspense- And what happens at the end? Who gets the gold mine and who gets the shaft? Which does our man Benjamin get? After all, he’s promised a nice paycheck for his services that will save him from selling his family home.

For me, with Entitled, it’s basically about the questions and wanting the answers.

The Book Format:

We see the story through the first person view point. Mainly through Benjamin Gould but also on occasion through Ann and her sister Melanie and even their mother Tessa. This format doesn’t really take away from the mystery aspect of the story.

What do I like about Entitled?

It’s different. The plot twist is definitely new. Did I see it coming? That ending? Yeah, no I didn’t see that coming. But should I have? You know, in a way, yes, I should have. At least part of it. I told you… headaches for Benjamin.

And I really wanted to see what happened to Benjamin. A good guy who deserves a break, something good to happen to him. And that is a sign of good writing. If you care about a character, then the writer succeeded.

What could have been better… for me?

You quickly come to know who Benjamin is as a person. Based on that impression,I felt some of his responses/reactions were out of character. Do what I personally see as odd responses impact the book and the plot? No. Not really. There are a couple that you just let go and move on. But maybe I have a problem because I really like Benjamin and that says a lot.

One other thing I thought could have been a little better was character development or maybe some added layers. Benjamin has some. But the others? I can see them wanting to come out but some just don’t make it or what does make it kind of misses for me. An example would be the only Cantling son, Theo. His layers are like a thick two layer cake, but with nothing between the layers to make it appetizing.

Ann’s character and her depth seems to come out, and comes close, but could be more. Of the Cantling sisters, Ann’s the one I would like to see more of, and maybe learn more about. It would’ve been interesting to know about Nicole, the eldest who lives in Santa Fe. Perhaps another book? Each character fulfills their role in the story so perhaps my looking for more depth in the characters is just me. But with the added development mentioned, I believe the story would have been even stronger.

Why would I recommend this book?

It’s a quick and easy read with some twists that will have you thinking of whodunit or what’s going to happen next. Even when Benjamin’s assignment is over, you still have a question. Do you get the answer? Does good triumph over evil/ego? Does it triumph completely?

Did I solve the initial mystery before the end?

Yes. The clues are right there. It was the only answer that made sense. But it might take a while to be certain.

Would I read this book a second time?

No. I don’t need to. But, I wouldn’t mind seeing Benjamin Gould take on another case. I would read that.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NxnESy

Author bio:

Leonard H. Orr has written for The Village Voice, The New York Times, and other publications. A graduate of Swarthmore College, he has also been an editor and investment manager, where he’s been a witness to the ambition and entitlement and sorrow his novel portrays.

Website: https://www.leonard-orr.com/

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NxnESy

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218456153-entitled

8 Questions with Raemi A. Ray, author of Widow’s Walk.

Synopsis

Attorney Kyra Gibson has a lot on her mind this Thanksgiving. She’s been working long hours on a multi-billion dollar corporate merger, her family is visiting from London, and her relationship with former police detective Tarek Collins is heating up. When she and her companions are invited by her aristocrat client to attend a formal gala at a historic mansion on Chappaquiddick, Kyra reluctantly agrees.

But Chappy is more than just a playground for the wealthy. It’s a wild, remote place cut off from civilization. When the first body is found, the occupants are worried. Was it an accident or murder? When a second guest is brutally killed and then a third, there’s no doubt and the guests fearfully turn on each other. They are locked in a house with a murderer picking them off one-by-one. Kyra, her best friend Chase Hawthorn, and Tarek must survive the night and find the killer, or one of them could be next.

You can get Widow’s Walk at Amazon.

Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

Most of my plots are pulled from headlines, and then I add in the murder.

Your book is set in Martha’s Vineyard. Have you ever been there?

Yes, I’ve been visiting the island for years and this series is a sort of love letter to it. It’s one of my favorite places.

Do you have another profession besides writing?

I do. In my other much more boring life, I’m an IP lawyer, not unlike my protagonist.

What genre do you write and why?

I write mystery/thrillers. I simply prefer writing plot over emotional journeys and mystery and thriller lend themselves to plot focused stories.

Which was the hardest character to write? The easiest?

The hardest character is actually my FMC, Kyra. The book is told from her perspective and sometimes I have to remember to be in her head, to remember she’s not privy to everything I know, especially what the other characters are thinking. The easiest is a tie: between Cronkite and Ali, Kyra’s aunt. Cronkite is the epitome of “cat,” and Ali is the sister I’d want if I had one.

If you could put yourself as a character in your book, who would you be?

If I were to write myself in, I’d write myself as a victim who gets her revenge from the grave. I think I’d be a beloved, local writer who, after an ugly exchange with an unruly summer visitor at a popular Vineyard Haven diner, met a very bloody, untimely death at the hands of the unpleasant woman. As the murder investigation progresses the murderess’s world is destroyed. Obviously, I’ve never been bowled over by an aggressive tourist at The Black Dog Tavern. Nor am I petty. It’s complete fiction.

What’s the scariest thing that ever happened to you?

A few years ago, I trespassed (broke into) a deserted asylum for children. It looked like it’d been abandoned overnight. Toys were on the floors. Artwork hung on the walls. The library’s books were strewn about, beds pushed up against the walls haphazardly. The cherry on top, though, was someone had staged a huge clown doll on the roof of one of the buildings. I’ll have nightmares of that clown’s manic grin for life.

What is your favorite thing to do in the autumn?

My favorite thing to do in the autumn is tea, coffee, or a glass of wine by the fire with a book. I love a wood burning fire when it’s chilly out. It’s so comforting.

You can get Widow’s Walk at Amazon.

When the body of a celebrated journalist is fished from the Edgartown Harbor, the official report rules his death accidental. But why was he alone on a senator’s yacht during a nor’easter? That’s only the first question London-based lawyer Kyra Gibson has when she arrives on the idyllic island of Martha’s Vineyard to settle her estranged father’s affairs. AMAZON

The Wraith's Return — The Wraith’s Return

London based lawyer Kyra Gibson returns to Martha’s Vineyard and the beach house she inherited for an extended summer holiday. Still reeling from her father’s brutal murder and the role she and the handsome detective, Tarek Collins played in uncovering it, Kyra is hopeful for some peace and quiet. But when a summer squall reveals the wreckage of the pirate ship, Keres, rich with rumored treasure, all hopes of peace are dashed. Conservationists and treasure hunters descend on the exclusive island to lay claim to the ship. When two of the salvagers are killed, Kyra and Tarek’s friend, pub owner and amateur historian, Gully Gould is arrested for murder. AMAZON

Author Bio:

Raemi A. Ray travels to Martha’s Vineyard and around the world inspire her stories. She lives outside Boston. When not writing or traveling she earns her keep as the personal assistant to the resident house demons, Otto and DolphLundgren.

Find out more: https://raemiray.com/

Facebook: @raemiray

Instagram: @miss_raemi

10 Questions with John Amos, author of The Cleopatra Caper.

“I want to present Cleopatra to the World,” Lady Stanhope sighed and reached for her purse. Two very young and inexperienced detectives, Flinders Petrie and Thomas Pettigrew, were unexpectedly presented with the case of a lifetime. Flinders and Pettigrew, recent graduates of Oxford and rivals of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, suddenly find themselves confronted with the task of finding Cleopatra’s tomb. The tomb’s location, as they quickly discovered, was protected by the adherents of an ancient cult. Their quest leads them to Cairo and Alexandria. They meet a mysterious woman, who is possibly the descendant of Cleopatra. Their story weaves between the ‘City of the Dead’ in Cairo and the ‘Mound of Shards’ in Alexandria. They discover that becoming a detective is more difficult than they imagined as students. Set against the background of the River War in the Sudan and written by an expert in archeology and Middle East history, readers will find this story a worthy successor to the Conan Doyle legacy. “Find me Cleopatra, and I will pay for all this….”

Find The Cleopatra Caper at Amazon.

What would be your one sentence elevator pitch of what your book is about to get someone to want to read it?

Two quirky young detectives are hired to find Cleopatra’s tomb, they grow up quick, but almost get killed during the chase.

Why choose the detective fiction genre for your book?

I read the Adventure of the Speckled Band as a kid. It scared the wits out of me. Ever since, I’ve wanted to write a detective story.

What research did you do to ensure you were historically accurate in setting, language and the like?

For the Middle East, no problem, I taught Middle Eastern politics for 25 years, and lived in Cairo for a year studying at the American University. (I also wrote a couple of books on Middle East politics). For everything else: Wikipedia, online publications, academic theses, and Bing AI (AI is really neat, if you know what to ask).

I know for my own book it was a real process to get things just right.
Coming up with character names is more difficult than people might think, how did you go about picking yours?

They are from historical characters: Flinders Petrie is the nephew of Sir Flinders Petrie, the great archeologist. Thomas Pettigrew is the grandson of Thomas Pettigrew, the British anatomist and mummy exhibitor. E A Walis Budge is himself. Lady Hestor is herself. Lord Cromer is himself. Inji was second in command of ‘Social Affairs’ in Cairo, and a very scary lady, indeed. (The first description of Inji is exactly the person I met in Cairo). Other names are from lists of Greek and Egyptian baby names.

How has your world traveling impressed itself on your writing?

Traveling supplied the background ambience. Owen Lattimore, the China expert, once wrote something to this effect: “If you haven’t been there and don’t know that there are tapeworm segments in the bottom of outhouses, you’re not an expert.” He was right. I lived on the economy in Cairo for a year and had to learn Arabic. I saw a lot of stuff a tourist would not see. My daughter is an amateur archeologist who worked on the digs at Pompeii, so I had an bona fide archeological source.

What will connect the reader to the story and make them keep reading to the end?

There are multiple levels, I think. Obviously, there is the Sherlock Holmes nostalgia. But beyond that, the story of a couple of self-entitled kids being forced to grow up in a hostile world is the same theme that you have in the US today: A lot of readers are experiencing the same trauma. And, of course, there is the lost love theme which is a pretty universal experience.

Probably everybody can relate to Flinders and Petrie, they are a very likeable and funny pair: reviewers seem to like them.

Did you have difficulty deciding your book was ready to publish?

I hadn’t a clue. I ran the manuscript by several literary agents who weren’t interested and then shipped it off to the same hybrid I used for the Student. A mistake. I have revised it to take out the clinkers and add material since I now have the advantage of hindsight.

What age(s) of reader do you think would enjoy The Cleopatra Caper?

I wrote another book and the developmental editor said that I write for eleven year olds. Maybe so. I like to think that I write for anyone who has the imagination to be scared by the Speckled Band.

What’s your next project idea?

The Stolen Goddess will be out in April. Flinders and Petrie meet TE Lawrence and Gertrude Bell. It’s set in Istanbul at the end of the Ottoman Empire. I have tried to portray the old empire in all its complexity. It has some truly villainous villains: the Veiled One is the Phantom of the Opera on steroids, and the Bulbul (the bulbul, “nightingale,” was the official executioner in the Ottoman Empire) is modeled after Charles Mansion (I represented one of the Manson family in a parole hearing). The theme is that of the arc of life, unlike Holmes and other fictional detectives, Flinders and Petrie age.

The Bones of the Apostle will probably be out later this year. This is a darker work set in 1915, the time of the Armenian genocide. (My late wife’s grandmother survived the death march). I’m still revising; I’m not sure I can do it justice. I have invented a new character, Gazelda Jones, who is as quirky as the detectives and adds a love theme. She will be around to the end of the series.

There are other detective fiction novels set in times past, why should a reader choose The Cleopatra Caper?

It’s a detective story with all the fast action of the genre, but it’s also a story about growing up, about lost innocence, and about lost love. In a way it’s a ghost story, because the heroes are haunted by their experiences. Their character development is central: These guys are driven by wanderlust, by guilt, and by the loneliness of their newly chosen profession. I suppose you could say that it’s part Conan Doyle, part Lawrence Durrell, part Henry James, and a smidgen of the “Thin Man.”

Find The Cleopatra Caper at Amazon.

Author Bio:

John Amos holds a PhD and a JD. He has taught at university level for 25 years. His academic publications include several books and multiple articles. His fiction works include The Student (2022), The Cleopatra Caper (2023), and The Case of the Stolen Goddess (2024). He has lived in the Middle East, most notably in Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, and Turkey. He currently practices Law.

8 Questions with D MacNeill Parker, author of Death in Dutch Harbor.

When two murders strain the police force of a remote Alaskan fishing port, veterinarian Maureen McMurtry is tapped by Dutch Harbor’s police chief for forensic assistance. The doctor’s got a past she’d rather not discuss, a gun in her closet, and a retired police dog that hasn’t lost her chops. All come in handy as she deciphers the cause and time of death of a local drug addict washed ashore with dead sea lions and an environmentalist found in a crab pot hauled from the sea in the net of a fishing vessel.

When her romantic relationship with a boat captain is swamped by mounting evidence that he’s the prime suspect in one of the murders, McMurtry struggles with her own doubts to prove his innocence. But can she? McMurtry’s pals, a manager of the Bering Sea crab fishery and another who tends Alaska’s most dangerous bar assist in unraveling the sinister truth.

See the tour–wide giveaway at the end.

How did you research your book?

Research was not required. Write what you know, right? As a longtime participant in the Alaska fishing industry, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use my experience as the backdrop to this book. What could be more intriguing than creating a world where commercial fishing and murder meet? However, I knew nothing about police dogs and so made an inquiry with the Seattle Police K9 Unit. They invited me to their training site. I was so appreciative, I named the dog in the book after the K9 Unit shepherd, CoCo.

Which was the hardest character to write?

The arch villain. It was difficult for me to navigate how to leave clues without giving away the identity of the culprit. The protagonist was a bit of a struggle, a learning experience really. Because the book is written in third person, I wrote many revisions trying out ways to best express what was inside her head.

Which was the easiest?

The police chief was the easiest character to write. I have no idea why.

There are many crime mystery books out there. What makes yours different?

As a former fisherman married to a fishing boat captain, and with a career as a journalist, fisheries specialist for the State of Alaska and a seafood company executive, I’ve got the credentials to pull off authenticity. And along the way, the reader will learn a lot about Alaska and commercial fishing.

What’s your next project?

I’m currently writing the second book of the series. So if you like the characters that inhabit DEATH IN DUTCH HARBOR, you can revisit them.

What is the last great book you read?

I could not put down the book, HORSE, by Geraldine Brooks. Its historical fiction, based on a real racehorse that was trained by a slave. The mystery unravels through the point of view of different characters, some in the present and some in the past. It tackles racism in a unique and poignant manner.

What authors inspired you to write?

There were many authors that inspired me to write like Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving, Craig Johnson, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Martin Cruz Smith, Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie and Dashell Hammett but the book that lit a writing fire under me as a teenager was John Barth’s book, The Sot-Weed Factor. It’s a wild ride of historical fiction that showed me there was no limit to using your imagination when crafting a yarn.

What is something you had to cut from your book that you wish you could have kept?

There was a scene between Dr. Mo and her pal, Patsy, in a restaurant that was painful to cut. Patsy, one of my favorite characters, used salt and pepper shakers, hot sauce and catsup bottles and a fork to make a point about the doc’s messed-up personal life. It was near the end of the book where the pace had escalated. The scene slowed things down and, gulp, had to go. I hope to find a place for it in the second book!

Find Death in Dutch Harbor at Amazon.

We are doing a tour–wide giveaway of an ebook of DEATH IN DUTCH HARBOR. D. MacNeill has THREE to give away, open worldwide.

Just click below.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/463009dc6/

Author Bio:

D. MacNeill Parker and her family are long time participants in the Alaska fishing industry. In addition to fishing for halibut, salmon, crab, and cod, she’s been a journalist, a fisheries specialist for the State of Alaska, and a seafood company executive. She’s traveled to most ports in Alaska, trekked mountains in the Chugach range, rafted the Chulitna River, worked in hunting camps, andsurvived a boat that went down off the coast of Kodiak. Parker’s been to Dutch Harbor many times experiencing her share of white knuckler airplane landings and beer at the Elbow Room, famed as Alaska’s most dangerous bar. While the characters in this book leapt from her imagination, they thrive in this authentic setting. She loves Alaska, the sea, a good yarn and her amazing family.

Website: https://www.dmparkerauthor.com/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/46fPtGv

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198615907-death-in-dutch-harbor

8 Questions with Evy Journey, author of The Golden Manuscripts: A Novel.

Clarissa Martinez, a biracial young woman, has lived in seven different countries by the time she turns twenty. She thinks it’s time to settle in a place she could call home. But where?

She joins a quest for the provenance of stolen illuminated manuscripts, a medieval art form that languished with the fifteenth century invention of the printing press. For her, these ancient manuscripts elicit cherished memories of children’s picture books her mother read to her, nourishing a passion for art.

Though immersed in art, she’s naïve about life. She’s disheartened and disillusioned by the machinations the quest reveals of an esoteric, sometimes unscrupulous art world. What compels individuals to steal artworks, and conquerors to plunder them from the vanquished? Why do collectors buy artworks for hundreds of millions of dollars? Who decides the value of an art piece and how?

And she wonders—will this quest reward her with a sense of belonging, a sense of home?

8 QUESTIONS WITH Evy Journey

What makes your book different from other fiction on art, artists, and art heists?

Few novels focus on illuminated manuscripts, especially stolen ones. This story is inspired by real events and goes deeper into motives other than financial gain for art thievery. It gives a glimpse into an esoteric art world, and of medieval manuscripts as precursors to today’s picture books.

Your book is set mainly in the Bay Area, but also includes scenes in Paris. Have you ever been to these places?

I’ve lived in different cities in California including the SF Bay Area and stayed for two to six months in Paris across several years. I presume to know these places fairly well.

How did you do research for your book?

I wrote a paper on illuminated manuscripts decades ago. But recent research usually uncovers previously unknown facts, and the scope of this book goes beyond manuscripts, so I read more books and articles and watched relevant documentaries. I also surveyed my email list to learn what and how many readers know or have read about illuminated manuscripts.

What is your next project?

How about a novel on Edouard Manet (“father” of modern art, Le Dejeuner Sur L’herbe) and Berthe Morisot, one of very few female Impressionist painters? Were they more than friends, or was he just a mentor/painter to her student/muse? She eventually married his brother. If I find enough intrigue in what’s been written about them, I’ll be sorely tempted.

What genre do you write and why?

The freedom self-publishing gives me is that I can mix genres—a little mystery, a little romance, women’s issues, family life—all in one novel. So I say I write literary because it can accommodate all those, and it lets you probe into the inner lives of characters. Lately, I’ve woven well-researched real events into my fiction that I hope would raise a question or two in readers’ minds.

What is the last great book you’ve read?

It’s still Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, which I read in 2015. I’ve read a number of good books since, including Doerr’s latest, but this to me is still tops.

Which authors inspired you to write?

Austen and Dostoevsky—writers from my youth whose books I’ve read several times. Ms. Austen might be an obvious inspiration. Dostoevsky nurtures my characters’ existential angst, as well as mine.

Any encounters with celebrities?

I talked (kind of) to Francis Ford Coppola, dapper in a light brown linen suit, sitting by himself outside a café next to the short-stay apartment we were renting in Paris. I wrote about the encounter on my author website.

Teensy excerpts: “Polite in that guarded celebrity way, he doesn’t encourage much interaction, but doesn’t shrink from it, either.

Hero-worship shining in my eyes, I say, “I think you’re the best director America has seen in a while. I love your movies, especially Apocalypse Now.”

He smiles patiently, mumbles something nice and inconsequential. After a few more inane remarks, we realize we must leave him in peace so he can enjoy pretending he’s like everyone else who visits Paris.”

Find The Golden Manuscripts: A NOVEL at Amazon.

Author Bio:

Evy Journey writes. Stories and blog posts. Novels that tend to cross genres. She’s also a wannabe artist, and a flâneuse.

Evy studied psychology (M.A., University of Hawaii; Ph.D. University of Illinois). So her fiction spins tales about nuanced characters dealing with contemporary life issues and problems. She believes in love and its many faces.

Her one ungranted wish: To live in Paris where art is everywhere and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form. She has visited and stayed a few months at a time.

Website: https://evyjourney.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ejourneywriter/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eveonalimb2/

11 Questions with Russell Brooks, author of Jam Run!

Synopsis:

What if crying out for help made you a target?
Within hours of arriving in Montego Bay, Eddie Barrow and his friend Corey Stephenson witness a gruesome murder outside a bar. When the victim’s sister reaches out for help, they learn of machinations to conceal foreign corporate corruption and a series of horrific sex crimes. However, Barrow and Stephenson’s commitment to solving the case is put to the test once they find themselves in the crosshairs of a ruthless criminal network—one that extends beyond the shores of Jamaica.

11 Questions with Russell Brooks.

How did you do research for your book?
I read several news articles to research the subject matter of Jam Run—especially the character and situation that were inspired by the murder of Dwayne Jones. He was a trans teenager who attended a dance party outside Montego Bay dressed as a woman. I read about other events that also inspired the story’s plot.

Further research involved consulting with experts, including locals in Jamaica, gun and martial arts experts, a Jamaican lawyer, a psychologist, and even an inventor who appeared on the TV show Shark Tank.

Your book is set in Montego Bay and its surrounding areas. Have you ever been there?
Yes. I visited Montego Bay in January 2023 and spent two weeks visiting the locations in Jam Run.

Which was the hardest character to write? The easiest?
Chevelle was the most challenging character to write. She’s a high-functioning autistic person who was raped when she was twelve and had a son. My knowledge of autism was limited before I created the character, so it was essential to consult with Nordia Sweeney—a Jamaican specializing in teaching intellectually disabled students—to make Chevelle realistic. Since Chevelle was also a rape victim, I had to approach that content very carefully to avoid offending readers who are either rape survivors or who know or work with them.

The protagonists, Eddie Barrow and Corey Stephenson were the easiest characters to write because I already wrote about them in Chill Run, the first book in the series. As an author, I learn more about the characters I write about as I progress with a manuscript.

How are you similar to or different from your lead character?
The only similarities between Eddie Barrow and myself are that we’re both authors born and raised in Montreal and whose parents are from Barbados.

In your book you make a reference to the murder of Dwayne Jones…how did you come up with this idea? What made you write a book about…Dwayne?
I read about Dwayne Jones’s murder while working on The Demeter Code. I was disturbed to read he was killed for dressing up as a woman while attending a straight party. What was worst was the way he was killed. The poor guy was stabbed, shot, and run over by a vehicle. That’s beyond hatred. It’s pure evil. And it says a lot about the killer(s). What also bothered me was the fact there were over 300 people at the party, yet nobody claimed to have seen anything—even though the incident began in the parking lot. The details of the murder were so disturbing I couldn’t ignore or forget. Full disclosure, Chill Run was initially written as a standalone. However, Dwayne Jones’s murder inspired me to write a sequel that deals with hatred, crimes, and injustices against the LGBTQ+ community because, in my opinion, these issues aren’t addressed in the Caribbean community often enough. Fortunately, some countries in the Caribbean have abolished laws that discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community. Others still keep these laws active, which I believe is unfortunate.

There are many crime thriller books out there about rape and hate crimes. What makes yours different?
What makes Jam Run different from other novels in the genre is that 98% of the characters are Afro-Caribbean and inspired by events that mostly took place in Jamaica. What’s also unique is that Eddie Barrow is a young Black man of Barbadian descent born in Montreal, Quebec. We usually see crime-solving characters who are white and who are either detectives or former military. Sometimes we see Black characters who are tough and intimidating. Luther—played by Idris Elba—comes to mind.

Eddie is the opposite. He’s not a detective. He’s an author with no fighting skills, nor does he fit the tough guy image we’re used to. He’s the guy next door and one of the least intimidating people you can imagine.

But most importantly, we often read about stories of the genre with Caribbean settings. Still, the Caribbean culture is absent because they aren’t written by authors who are either West Indian or of West Indian descent. I wrote and researched Jam Run in a way that would not stereotype Jamaica or the Caribbean. This is why having the Jamaican characters speak as the average Jamaican living in Jamaica would speak—whether in Patois, broken English or English with local expressions was important. For instance, there’s a scene where Eddie, Corey, and a secondary character are trying to escape a burning house. Their acquaintance tells them they can exit through the washroom. Eddie’s puzzled until Corey yells that their acquaintance was referring to the laundry room.

What is your next project?
My next project will be the fourth Ridley Fox/Nita Parris thriller.

What is the last great book you’ve read?
Die Trying by Lee Child.

What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing your book?
One of the challenges for me was raising funds to publish and market Jam Run. The story and subject required weeks of research due to the sensitivity of the content. While working on my first book, I read that the average person won’t be my only audience. There will be industry professionals such as police officers, martial artists, lawyers, and doctors who’ll read my books. But in this instance, I knew that I had to be extra careful so as not to offend rape survivors or those who know or have worked with these victims to be sure that the wrong message is not interpreted by either a sentence of dialogue or the way I describe a scene. The biggest reward as of today was that for the first time, I visited Jamaica and went to the locations that took place in the story. I also had a chance to experience Jamaica, meet the locals, and have one of the best times of my life.

Which authors inspired you to write?
John Grisham, Vince Flynn, and Joseph Finder.

If there is one thing you want readers to remember about you, what would it be?
I want them to remember me as the author that kept them up late at night that they woke up late for work.

You can purchase Jam Run at Amazon.

Russell Brooks, author of Jam Run — Russell Brooks

About the Author

Russell Brooks is an Amazon bestselling author of several thrillers—Pandora’s Succession, Unsavory Delicacies, Chill Run, and The Demeter Code. If you enjoy heart-pounding thrillers with conspiracies, martial arts, sex, betrayal, and revenge, then you don’t need to look any further and
see why these are among the best mystery thriller books of all time..

Website: http://russellparkway.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RussellBrooksOfficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoOtherRussell
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russellparkway

Russell Brooks blog tour — Russell Brooks Blog Tour

6 Questions with Gary Born, author of The File.

Leaning into his experience as a preeminent international lawyer, Born weaves an exciting tale that spans Africa, the Middle East and Europe in a relentless pursuit of WWII Nazi intel that will enthrall the reader from the first page.

The File

Enter Sara West, a tenacious botany graduate student on a scientific expedition in the heart of the African jungle. During her research, she stumbles upon a cache of WWII Nazi files in the wreck of a German bomber hidden deep within the jungle. Those hidden files reveal the location of a multibillion-dollar war chest, secretly deposited by the Nazis in numbered Swiss bank accounts at the end of WWII.

But Sara isn’t the only one interested in the war chest. Former KGB agent Ivan Petronov and Franklin Kerrington III, deputy director of the CIA, both have deeply personal reasons for acquiring the files Sara has found.

With two dangerous men — and their teams of hit men — on her trail, will Sara be able to escape the jungle alive?

The File by Gary Born Release date March 28, 2323

6 QUESTIONS WITH GARY BORN

How did having a background in international law shape the planning and execution of this novel?

One of the central themes of the novel involves secret Swiss bank accounts, holding Nazi deposits from World War II. My practice in international law has involved both Swiss bank accounts and WWII assets, which provided vital background for this aspect of the thriller.

You tackle a lot of settings throughout the book, how do you do research to write about different settings and countries? Do you pull from your own personal travel experiences?

I have traveled almost everywhere in the world, for both work and pleasure. I drew on hikes in Uganda and Congo, on road trips in the Sahara, travels in Italy and many weeks in Zurich for the settings in the book. It is never easy to capture the heart and soul of a place in a few sentences, but these travels helped me along the way.

“A thoroughly enjoyable, engrossing thriller with a captivating young, beautiful American botanist at the center of the fast paced action.  Rooting for Sara West as she evades a Russian assassination team through the dense jungles of central Africa – her expedition experience and wits her only weapons in a race to safety - will keep you up past your bedtime.  Can Sara trust CIA operative Jeb Fisher or will the likable, attractive American also betray her trust?  This well written adventure will take Sara from the rainforests of central Africa to the shores of north Africa and on to the cobbled streets of Europe as she struggles to identify friend from foe.  Is it all a trap?  The suspense will keep you guessing and eagerly awaiting a sequel…..”  

– Gina Haspel, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

Sara is a 28 year old graduate student, why did you decide to write a main character with significantly different life experiences then your own?

Sara’s experience isn’t that different from mine, in some important ways. I spent time in the Ruwenzori mountains — without killers on my trail, to be sure — when I was Sara’s age. And I have a daughter who is also from Sara’s generation. I think the character has some of both my daughter and myself in her.

Did you conduct any kind of research to help write the book?

I spent time researching Nazi warplanes and Tempelhof; walked the streets of Zurich, imagining chase scenes; spent a few days in Lucca and the surrounding area, developing Jeb and Sara’s time there. I also researched what FSS and FSB operatives would and wouldn’t have been good at — thoughts that I passed along to Sara for her use.

What do you hope the readers take away from your book?

Many things, but especially Sara’s determination and resilience, even when nothing seemed possible. Her objectivity and resourcefulness. The complexity of Sara and Jeb’s relationship, as it unfolds. Sara’s reactions to her father’s death and fiance’s betrayal. The different forms of malice and evil that Petronov and Kerrington personified, and Sara’s responses to that.

“A taut globe-trotting thriller, as American and Russian intelligence operatives race to hunt down the discoverer of a long-buried secret, told with eloquence and ruthless efficiency.”  

– George Nolfi, screenwriter, “The Bourne Ultimatum”

What projects are you working on next?

Another thriller — “The Priest” — a former Mafia enforcer is posted abroad after giving up his life of mayhem and becoming a priest; by chance, he befriends a former high-ranking general, whose deathbed confession and will sends the priest in search of documents that would reshape the map of Asia, while chased by intelligence services intent on stopping the priest in his tracks.

The File by Gary Born will be available March 28, 2323.

Author Bio:

About the Author

Gary Born is widely regarded as the world’s preeminent authority on international commercial arbitration and international litigation. He has been ranked for more than 20 years as one of the world’s leading international arbitration advocates and authors. “The File” is his debut novel.

Connect with Gary Born on LinkedIn

11 Questions with Wendy Koenig, author of On the Sly!

Sylvia Wilson, a bar owner in St. Louis, Missouri, arrives at work to discover the body of an ex-police officer in her locked bar. The police focus on her as their primary suspect, so she decides to launch her own investigation into the dead man and his accomplices. But when the killer sends her clear messages that she and her loved ones are on his radar, she knows it’s just a
matter of time before someone ends up dead.

On the Sly! by Wendy Koenig cover — On the Sly! by Wendy Koenig

11 Questions with Wendy Koenig

Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

Most people have great stories in their pasts. I borrow ideas from those and mix them up a bit. Also, the news fills in the blanks pretty well.

There are many mystery books out there. What makes yours different?

My main character is a kick-ass woman with no special education or training. She just doesn’t stop.

How did you do research for your book?

I grew up about an hour from St. Louis, so I just took a trip home. Kicked around the city a bit to let the feel of it flow through me.

If your book were made into a movie, who would star in the leading roles?

I think Karen Gillan would make a great Sylvia. She’s funny, uber smart, and tough as nails.

What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing your book?

This book was completely different when I first wrote it. When I finished, I just didn’t like it, so I started cutting, rearranging and adding. Love the final edition. It took about a year longer than I like, though.

What advice would you give budding writers?

Don’t stop. Don’t even take a long break. Momentum is hard to pick up again. Write what your heart tells you, but make sure you finish what you start.

What genre do you write and why?

Mystery and some science fiction. I love mysteries, but I grew up on SF.

Which authors inspired you to write?

Lee Child, Robert A Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, Michael Connelly, Vonda McIntyre, Brandon Sanderson, Kathy Reichs.

What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?

I joined the US Air Force right out of high school.

Who was your childhood celebrity crush?

Neil Diamond. What a voice!!!

What is your next project?

I’m rewriting the next book in the series and scribbling occasional paragraphs for the third. I also have a science fiction book on the go.

You may purchase On The Sly: A Sylvia Wilson Mystery at Amazon.

Wendy Koenig author of On the Sly! — Wendy Koenig

About the Author

Wendy Koenig is a published author living in New Brunswick, Canada. Her first piece to be printed was a short children’s fiction, Jet’s Stormy Adventure, serialized in The Illinois Horse Network. She attended University of Iowa, honing her craft in their famed summer workshops and writing programs. Since that time, she has published and co-authored numerous books and has won several international awards.

Website: http://www.wendylkoenig.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/WendyLKoenig
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wlkoenig
Instagram: http://instagram.com/wendylkoenig

12 Questions with MHR Geer, author of ASSUMED.

When her friend Sandy asks for help, Anne Wilson leaves her small, lonely life in Miami for the picturesque island of Saint Martin. But as soon as she arrives, Sandy is murdered, and her death exposes lies: an alias, a secret past, stolen money. Suspected of murder and trapped on the island, Anne is shocked when a cryptic message arrives:

Find the money. Take it and run.

She follows Sandy’s trail of obscure clues, desperate for proof of her innocence and must decide if she can trust the two men who offer help-the dark, mysterious Brit or the American with a wide grin and a pickup truck. When memories resurface-dark truths she’d rather leave buried and forgotten, her past becomes intertwined with her present.

Her only way forward is to face her own secrets.

Assumed by MHR Geer. A romance, financial, murder thriller. — Assumed by MHR Geer.

Which was the hardest character to write?
Anne. Have you ever disliked someone the first time you met them, but then as you got to know them you realized they were just shy and perhaps quite sad? That’s how it felt to write Anne. I
didn’t approve of her choices, but chapter after chapter she showed such strength, and I
warmed to her.

Your book is set in Saint Martin, an island in the Caribbean. Have you ever been there?
Yes. (sigh) Such a beautiful place. I want to go back.

Do you have another profession besides writing?
I’m a bookkeeper by day. It’s the opposite of creative writing.

How long have you been writing?
I’ve always journaled, but I began writing novels about nine years ago – which is about the time
my first marriage fell apart. Huh, I never made that connection before. Whew. That’s a
breakthrough of sorts, isn’t it?

What is your next project?
Book 2: Accused. Anne’s story continues! It will be released in 2023.

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. But the one comment that stands out is when
an Amazon reviewer said that Anne (my main character) was so REAL. That was amazing to
hear.

How are you similar to or different from your lead character?
We are very different, but we do have a couple things in common. She works in accounting like I
do, and we’ve both suffered significant loss – the kind of loss that you never really recover from.
Writing her character was so interesting because she dealt with her loss so differently than I did.

Favorite travel spot?
Kansas City. Such a friendly place. It always inspires creativity. I love the Nelson-Atkins
museum and City Market on the weekends. Also, there’s a place in Westport Plaza that makes
the best Matcha ever. Don’t get me started on the barbeque…yum.

Any hobbies?
So many hobbies. Knitting mostly, but I enjoy loads of crafts, jewelry and macrame. I want to try
pottery, but my yarn takes up too much space. I simply don’t have room in my life for clay. Yet.

What TV series are you currently binge watching?
A while ago, season 1 of Silent Witness popped up as a recommendation on my BritBox. It
should have come with a disclaimer like “Don’t watch this unless you’re prepared to commit
several months to it.” Sheeshers. I just finished Season 25. I don’t regret a thing. Well. Maybe I
regret some of the popcorn.

Tell us about your longest friendship.
Marie. We met in college because our boyfriends were roommates, and we both instantly had a
“you’re my person” moment. I live in California, and she lives on the East Coast, so we meet
annually in random cities in the middle of the country to hang out. She’s still my person after all
this time.

What is the strangest way you've become friends with someone?
One of my friendships started during the darkest period in my life. We were at a youth football
practice that my ex-husband was coaching. I can’t even remember why, but I had to move my
chair, and someone I barely knew carried it for me. That’s it. She carried my chair. It was a tiny
thing, but the gesture meant the world to me. And we’ve been close friends ever since.

MHR Geer, author of Assumed. — MHR Geer.

Author Bio:

MHR Geer was born in California but grew up in the Midwest. She attended the University of California, Santa Barbara to study Physics. After school, she moved to Ventura, CA and started a small bookkeeping business. She lives with her two sons and her unicorn husband (because he's a magical creature).

Website: http://www.mhrgeer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086993291413
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mhrgeerauthor

Book Review of The Disappearing Beaune: A Sherlock Holmes Christmas Story by J. Lawrence Matthews.

Review of The Case of the Disappearing Beaune. J. Lawrence Matthews Sherlock Holmes — Book cover of The Case of the Disappearing Beaune: A Sherlock Holmes Christmas Story by J. Lawrence Matthews.

Sherlock Holmes faces one of the most urgent and puzzling cases of his career. A Christmas gift for his old friend Dr. Watson has been tampered with and replaced with something most unusual. All under the sleeping nose of the great detective himself.

Is there a new Master of the Criminal Underworld in charge of London? Why the warning? And who is the warning about?

The Case of the Disappearing Beaune: A Sherlock Holmes Christmas Story by J. Lawrence Matthews captures the essence of the classic detective with language and writing harking back to the old master himself, Conan Doyle. But the writing is still his own. This is a Matthews story and the descriptive style easily draws the reader into the age and world being created.

Matthews puts his knowledge of Holmes and history to good use. This is not his first adventure with the world’s greatest detective. There is a good amount of detail given to the streets of London, allowing the reader to ride along with the investigative duo of Holmes and Watson as they race to save… well to save. Much loved characters from years gone by appear throughout the story.

The pace of the story matches the length. Clues pile up in quick measure with Sherlock grasping them seemingly out of thin air, but all leading to one conclusion.

The mystery itself is one that will shock the reader. The ending, something one would never expect of the great bee fanatic, Holmes.

This is a great short story for any age of reader. An excellent gift for the holidays.

Try to solve the mystery before Holmes does.

5 out of 5 Stars

(A rarity from me.)

Book Review of The Case of the Disappearing Beaune: A Sherlock Holmes Christmas Story. Author photo of J. Lawrence Matthews. — J. Lawrence Matthews. Author of The Case of the Disappearing Beaune: A Sherlock Holmes Christmas Story.

J. Lawrence Matthews has contributed fiction to the New York Times and NPR’s All Things Considered, and, as Jeff Matthews, is the author of three non-fiction books about Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. One Must Tell the Bees: Abraham Lincoln and the Final Education of Sherlock Holmes is his first novel, the result of twin passions for the original Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and American history as told on the battlefields of the Civil War. Matthews is now researching the sequel, which follows Sherlock Holmes a bit further afield—to Florence, Mecca and Tibet.

https://www.jlawrencematthews.com/

BookReview of “Columbus and Caonabó: 1493-1498 Retold” by Andrew Rowen.

DESCRIPTION of Columbus and Caonabó: 1493-1498 Retold by Andrew Rowen.

“Columbus and Caonabó: 1493–1498 Retold” dramatizes Columbus’s invasion of Española and the bitter resistance mounted by its Taíno peoples during the period and aftermath of Columbus’s second voyage. Based closely on primary sources, the story is told from both Taíno and European perspectives, including through the eyes of Caonabó—the conflict’s principal Taíno chieftain and leader—and Columbus.”

When you read a Historical Fiction novel you have a certain thought in mind of what to expect. Andrew Rowen gives you more than that, much more. The press release discusses the research he’s done through the years but many do the same. But I haven’t run across anyone who puts the detail of the people into their work as much as Rowen has. Given as much life to a people we know so little about but by the end know so much and gain a fuller picture of a part of the American foundational background. I’ve taken U.S., European, and Latin American studies at the University level and not been given any of the detail given here, nor even heard of the vast majority of the people given in this work.

Being a history person I of course loved the specifics pertaining to the events of the past but even more I enjoyed Rowen’s interpretation of the people involved, especially the Taíno peoples. Also the conflict between the crew of Columbus left behind and moving forward. There was no simple black and white, right and wrong to the story. I suppose overall you would say there is one, but as far as the actions of both peoples the ideas made a lot more sense than what we learn in school.

Rowen shows the use of the Europeans and Taíno forming alliances whether they be real or merely for appearances, the use of Christianity as a subjugation strategy as well as a tool by the Taíno. The Taíno religion is also a major issue in the progress of negotiations and relations. (I don’t want to say too much here.) The actions of Columbus are laid bare, warts and all. Even coming to be questioned by Isabella and Ferdinand. The presence of Spanish settlers in the islands is devastating in more ways than the disease we’ve so often read about.

Ultimately you feel what is happening as it happens. The anguish of the Taíno peoples, the settlers, and even the soldiers who didn’t sign up for what happens. This along with 42 historic and newly drawn maps and illustrations bring life to a part of history glossed over by the victors.

I’m not an anti-Columbus or anti-Western Exploration person. I like history. I am a historian. I want as many of the facts as possible. Unfortunately those who are the victors tend to suppress the ugly parts they played to achieve their victory. “Columbus and Caonabó: 1493–1498 Retold” provides more facts while being entertaining at the same time.

The author includes an interesting final chapter titled Agonies and Fates. We learn about just what the title says, Agonies and Fates. Plus many definitions are given for the Taíno language.

RATING

A solid 4 out of 5 Stars. A 4 because of all the great information and the life given to the historical figures. Also a 4 and not a 5 because it is a bit of a heavy read. This is not a read in one or two sittings. You will likely want to do so but take your time so you can absorb everything you’re being given.

I rate using:

Realistic Characters/Character Development based on genre,
World Building
Editing
Believability based on genre
Overall Enjoyment
Readability/Clarity
Flow

RECOMMEND?

I would read the previous book, Encounters Unforeseen: 1492 Retold, of which this book is the sequel.

504 pages with the reading portion ending with Agonies and Fates on page 417. The remaining pages are filled with great information for further understanding, including a Glossary.

Available 11/09/2021

$11.49 for Kindle.

$33.95 Hardcover at Amazon

About the author

Andrew Rowen has devoted 10 years to researching the history leading to the first encounters between Europeans and the Caribbean’s Taíno peoples, including visiting sites where Columbus and Taíno chieftains lived, met, and fought. His first novel, “Encounters Unforeseen: 1492 Retold” (released 2017), portrays the life stories of the chieftains and Columbus from youth through their encounters in 1492. Its sequel, “Columbus and Caonabó: 1493–1498 Retold” (to be released November 9, 2021), depicts the same protagonists’ bitter conflict during the period of Columbus’s second voyage. Andrew is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and Harvard Law School and has long been interested in the roots of religious intolerance.

https://www.amdrewrowen.com/
Facebook @andrewsrowen

Ronovan Hester’s Book Review of The Judas Robe by author Larry Rodness.

DESCRIPTION OF THE JUDAS ROBE by Larry Rodness

During the height of the Spanish Inquisition a ruthless inquisitor by the name of Bishop Roberto Promane tortures a fellow priest, Father Sanchez, for information about the whereabouts of a relic known as The Judas Robe. The robe is believed to be the single piece of physical proof of God on Earth. Promane succeeds in uncovering the robe only to lose it to Sanchez’s rescuers, the knights of The Order Of Christ.

Present Day

Joel Gardiner, a pre-med student, is attacked one night by thugs after leaving a campus pub. A young woman named Sophia rescues him and reveals that Joel’s mother, Natalie, is descended from the Order Of Christ, the faction that has kept the robe hidden for centuries. These thugs are part of a conspiracy group led by a Bishop Newman who seek the robe in order to uncover a secret held for centuries.

A BIT ABOUT WHO IS IN THE STORY

JOEL is a by-the-book pre-med student who comes from a divorced family where his father and brothers leave him with his mother who they believe is crazy for believing in a myth of her heritage. Once he gets to college he meets LISA and they quickly begin a relationship. Joel gets an internship at BIOPHARM, a pharmaceutical company, due to a discovery he made that could change the health of the human race, under the condition he can conduct his own research into a cure a rare that affects only around 7000 people. (This is all already established and explained as the story flows.)

Joel’s discovery as well as the Robe of Judas, the myth Joel’s family doesn’t believe in, are the two targets of BISHOP NEWMAN and his conspiracy group.

Joel is aided by SOPHIA and FATHER SANCHEZ who are all too familiar with the bishop and the robe. The reveals at the end are shocking actors in this play, but a couple are hinted at during moments in the story. All are believable in the context of the story.

THE REVIEW

LARRY RODNESS creates a fun ride that is engrossing and will keep you turning the pages. As a writer my biggest compliment to give another author is I want these characters to appear in a series of books. It would be an easy thing to do. The characters are all well defined and have distinct voices.

I’ve seen some reference Dan Brown, because it has to do with the hunt for a Jesus associated item. I don’t get that vibe. The book is not that detailed or plodding as are Dan Brown’s famous books. The story has the details it needs as far as the Judas Robe. This keeps the book as a fast paced read. This book is its own story and not a pretender. The search for the robe is not a mystery of solving this puzzle or whatever. The real goal of Joel and Lisa is to survive. And if they can discover the Judas Robe is real and if so keep it out of the hands of the antagonist groups (yes I said groups), find a cure for the medical condition and make Joel’s discovery work for the human race along the way, then all the better.

As with any book I read I’m looking for the relationships and personalities. This one has reality relationships, meaning not perfect. There are strains on Joel and Lisa, Joel and his mother, Sophia and other characters and even some messy moments of bad choices made, or so the characters think. I personally don’t think so. But that’s the great thing about the book. You have villains you like and you want things to work out somehow and heroes you just can’t stand, or at least I can’t. And I think that’s the way it should be.

You come to understand choices made by both sides or all sides, there are multiple sides, but easy to follow.

As much as I like the story there are some plot holes that I think contribute to my attitude toward some characters as well as what I consider a confusing moment between Joel and his mother during a pivotal turn in Joel’s view points about so many things. Perhaps if there is another book it can be explained, but I suppose for now the reader has to come up with their own solutions. This moment doesn’t take away from the story or enjoyment, but the plot holes do pull you out of the world Rodness has created for a brief moment.

The pace of the story is excellent and I think that’s part of why any hiccups aren’t huge problems with enjoyment.

My favorite character is Sophia. A quiet character that seems to just be there and you’re not surprised by it but you should be. I got to the point I was expecting her to be just on the edge watching each scene play out.

I will say there are sexual scenes in the book as well as killing with a bit of gore. Really only the sexual scenes were a little surprise but I think in a way they explain a bit about why the people end up willing to do what they do later on. Just mentioning the scenes wouldn’t have worked.

Summing it up: Not much filler. But as with any book there is a lull between those big moments, but as I said, not much. Great characters. Surprises. Mystery. Some layers and subplots that could play out further in later books but didn’t need to here.

COMPARING

As I’ve said before… I’m not good at comparing authors work although that helps a reader get a feel for what they are getting into. Maybe you can think of a movie or book that is a mystery with a bit of action and rabid cult where you don’t have any fighting skills or clues and you’re told to find the treasure or your loved ones die.

RATING

A solid 3.6 out of 5 Stars. The only reason it is not a sold 4 is because of the plot holes.

A note on rating a book: People these days throw 5’s and 4’s around, when they really mean 3’s and 4’s. 3 means the book meets what you expect it to be. 4 is a really good book. A 5 rating should be a rare thing.

The above rating is just shy of a really good book rating because of just a few plot holes.

I rate using:

Realistic Characters/Character Development based on genre,
World Building
Editing
Believability based on genre
Overall Enjoyment,
Readability/Clarity
Flow

RECOMMEND?

I would read other books by this author. I would say the book would be for maybe 18 and over due to the sexual moments. You may say 16 because of it being a book and not visual. And I get that. I am on the fence.

Click one of the logos below to visit the book site so you can purchase. You can also read the first 3 chapters on Amazon with the Kindle Look inside feature.

241 pages.

$6.99 for Kindle.

$10.54 Paperback at Amazon

$16.00 Paperback at Barnes & Noble

About the author

Larry began his professional career as a singer at the age of 19 working with various bands around Toronto. After studying musical theatre Larry worked in summer stock where his love of writing began. From that point on he wrote for dinner theatre, trade shows, and even ice skating shows. To date he has written over 10 screenplays and has had 3 optioned.

https://www.larryrodness.com/
https://twitter.com/LarryRodness

Ronovan Hester’s Book Review of Aunt Ivy’s Cottage by author Kristin Harper.

DESCRIPTION OF AUNT IVY’S COTTAGE by Kristin Harper

Three generations of the Winslow family gather one Spring as they go through joys, sorrows, and many decisions to find healing in the home that’s been in their family for generations. Add mystery, romance, and a manipulative, self-centered cousin, and you have the makings of a promising series set in the fictional New England village of HOPE HAVEN on DUNE ISLAND. The picture painted by the author of the sunsets, ocean waves, the surf, the smells, and more make the fictional setting come to life.

ZOEY has been staying with her elderly AUNT IVY and Aunt Sylvia after Sylvia developed pneumonia. Out of a job and her savings all but depleted by an ex-boyfriend, Zoey dedicates herself first to nursing Sylvia, until her passing (in the prologue), then to Aunt Ivy while she copes with the loss of her sister-in-law, Sylvia.

Then another bombshell drops when Zoey’s asked to assume responsibility for her niece GABI, the daughter of her sister, JESSICA, who was lost to cancer several years earlier. The girl’s step-mother and father hope Zoey will let her finish the school year wherever Zoey ends up living. With Gabi’s mother gone and now her dad in a rehab program for alcoholics, Zoey says yes.

On top of that, Zoey’s cousin MARK, the next in line to inherit Aunt Ivy’s house, is doing his best to get her to move into a retirement facility so he can renovate the house and lease it out for an income. If this happens, what happens to Zoey?

But there is one light in it all, NICK, the local contractor. Or is his light too bright to be believed?

Pre-REVIEW (Review?)

If you read the blurb/book description on Amazon, it isn’t accurate to the book’s story. I think if I read the book, after reading that description first, I would be disappointed because the suspense and anticipation it promises is not quite what’s delivered. Even some imagery given isn’t what you get in the book. But don’t let that stop you from reading AUNT IVY’S COTTAGE after reading this review. Because I’m just pointing that out in case you read this review and then the Amazon description and wonder what was this book blogger talking about.

If the blurb is not accurate, then what do you get?

A story with more substance, more emotion, and more heart than expected. And I enjoyed it better than I would have if it had been what the blurb described.

THE REVIEW

KRISTIN HARPER does a great job of painting a wonderful picture of what the Hope Haven area of Dune Island looks like. It’s a nice job of giving the imagery as part of the story and not just throwing it in to fill up the page. Harper really knows what she’s doing. It’s not over the top, just enough to give you what you need. I love it when that happens. And as a writer, I can tell you it’s a balance not easily accomplished.

Each character has their own unique personality and problems. This is something I enjoy in any book, but in this type of book in particular there is a tendency to have too many characters that serve the same purpose and clutter the story. When that happens, you end up wondering which character someone is talking about. Harper nails it with just the right number. One living great-aunt, one aunt in her thirties, and one teen niece. The niece, Gabi, has friends that are unique and fleshes out her character nicely, but they aren’t cluttering the reading. For instance, you read about one boy early on, and the next time you meet him, you have no problem visualizing him again walking with the girl down the hall her first day of school to give her a tour. Honestly, I could see the kid. It surprised me. (Maybe I knew a kid just like him.)

The emotions of the story are not overdone, and they aren’t always about the same things. Yes, the same emotions happen about the same things at times, but I expect that when a story involves grief. If the story didn’t include those moments, it would come across to me as unrealistic.

You have the tears, but they are usually warranted, not filler or lack of a talented writer’s ability to come up with something better to say. They are timed at the right moments in the story where they belong rather than pulling you out of your escape into the sounds of the surf on a New England island in spring. (Zoey’s moments on the beach and in the ocean had me wishing I were there.)

There are laughs as well, which include multi-generational moments that aren’t contrived. Some of those moments include characters that might surprise you but ultimately don’t.

Harper does great with not making any of the characters one-dimensional. I have to say that surprised me. A lot of times in books of this genre one person has a role to play and they stick to that stereotype/trope with no variation. Harper doesn’t do that here. Some of the roles do play to type where they need to but then there is much more to each person. Very nice.

There are only a couple of places in the book I thought could’ve been different, but in no way do they take away from the reading of the book or diminish the enjoyment I had. Nor would they change the story or outcome of the book.

I really like books that have a sweet, emotional family story, be they mysteries, romances, suspense, or whatever. There is no profanity at all in the book. Also, there are no intimate/sexual situations that would keep a teen from reading this book.

Summing it up: It’s a tight story with no fillers and some little learning moments about life, love, and family. You’ll enjoy it, as I did.

COMPARING

I’m horrible at comparing one author to others in this genre. Why, because I pick up a book to read based on the title, cover, description, and reviews. I do like reading the same authors but if the reviews are bad, I’ll skip the book. Plus, when you read over a hundred books a year, you get kind of get lost in your own little world of words.

All I can say is this was a well-plotted and well thought out story. The world-building Harper has done makes for a four-dimensional feel (fourth being the senses included) reading experience.

When you have a book that is put forward as a Clean & Wholesome Romance, you often think of those painfully awkward almost-moments of intimacy the two leads go through until the ‘finally’ moment happens. I am so pleased to say this book does not put you through that. Of course, you have moments, but reasonable and nothing like what I’ve read so many times before. There are very few cliché moments in Aunt Ivy’s Cottage. Nicely done.

I said all of that to tell you how Kristin Harper’s efforts stand out from others.

RATING

A solid 4 out of 5 Stars. I would read more in this series. (One other title currently available, Summer at Hope Haven.)

Click one of the logos below to visit the book site so you can purchase.

294 pages.

$.99 for ebook.

About the author

Ever since she was a young girl, there were few things Kristin Harper liked more than creative writing and spending time on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with her family. Eventually (after a succession of jobs that bored her to tears), she found a way to combine those two passions by becoming a women’s fiction author whose stories occur in oceanside settings. While Kristin doesn’t live on the Cape year-round, she escapes to the beach whenever she can.

https://www.kristinharperauthor.com/
https://twitter.com/KHarperAuthor

For more reviews and the other stops on Kristin Harper’s Book Blog Tour:

Click the image for a larger view.

#BookReview of Three Strikes, You’re Dead by @Elena_Hartwell

Get Three Strikes, You’re Dead by author Elena Hartwell at Amazon by clicking HERE.

Three Strikes, You’re Dead by Elena Hartwell is the third book in the Eddie Shoes Mystery series. Each book is stand alone. First, the story was good with an ending you probably won’t see coming unless you really pick up on the clues.

Secondly, I had a challenging time getting past the first couple or three chapters, the reason being this isn’t my usual type of book. The Eddie (Edwina) Shoes series is on the border of Cozy Mystery and Mystery. I normally read things with lots of danger and political or secret spy type intrigue, but I received this book free for an honest review. Thus, I pushed on. And I’m happy I did.

Eddie is a private investigator that is accustomed to being on her own and doing her own thing, until recent events brought her parents into her life. Chava, her mother, is a character all her own, a bit crazy at times, but a nice touch of comedy when needed. Then there is Eduardo, the mob connected father that is very protective of his daughter and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He’s my favorite character in the book.

The story begins as Chava is driving herself, Eddie, and Eddie’s dog Polar to the Cascade mountains for a short vacation at a spa. A free trip Eddie can’t pass up. But with Eddie it doesn’t take long for trouble to find her. I guess this time she finds it. She goes for a short hike her first day and ends up making a promise to a dying man in the forest that she will find his missing daughter. Then she’s running for her life from a forest fire.

And so, begins the mystery. Who was the man? Where is his daughter? With only a silver crucifix and photo of the daughter shoved in her hand by the dying man to go on how will Eddie solve the case? With the help of her parents, of course.

Don’t get tricked into thinking you know how the story ends by the obvious, that’s why I say this is a border line Cozy Mystery and Mystery book. It’s a comfortable read and a nice growth for characters in a series like this but it adds a bit more challenge than the usual fare.

With this third book it seems you get a better sense of what made up Eddie’s DNA, her ingrained character. She has as touch of the light of her mother with the seriousness of the father, even though only Chava was present in her life as a 16-year-old mother who didn’t know how to raise a daughter.

I give Three Strikes, You’re Dead 4 STARS because of what I saw as a slow intro. I didn’t take away from the rating based on this not being my normal reading genre, I read it for the genre it is. I’ve read all the Cat Who series by Lilian Jackson Braun. That’s the only Cozy I’ve ever been into. but I still get how the genre reads.

Remember to click HERE to visit Amazon and get the book.

And why is Elena such a great writer? Because she received her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, my Alma Mater, so she was destined to be great.

Visit ElenaHartwell.com to discover more about her, her other books, and all THOSE ANIMALS!

Daughters of Bad Men by @LauraOles. A strong female PI without the love story.

What do you get when you combine an ex con-artist, a big man in Hawaiian shirts and a fried food loving bulldog? A dang good story.

Daughters of Bad Men is what I am hoping is the first in an ongoing series with a strong female lead Private Investigator, and get this, there is no man having to bail her out of situations or being all lovey dovey to her. Jamie Rush is legit PI with some great supporting characters, a comic relief but protective best friend (Cookie) and the best possible breed of dog you could ever have, the English Bulldog named Deuce. (My alma mater is the Bulldogs.)

In this novel Jamie is asked by her estranged con-artist half brother to find his daughter, who has gone missing. Jamie hesitates because there is a huge trust issue but since it involves the niece she once loved like her own she caves and starts the search. Her investigation leads her to shady side of Port Arlene, TX, a nice little Gulf Coast winter haven for the snowbirds of the north based on Port Aransas, TX, which is across the Corpus Christi Bay from the city of Corpus Christi.

We meet Erin, the high class but young bookie who likes to treat her silver and blue haired snow bird clients well and like family and Marissa the daughter of the local crime boss. I hope to see a lot of both in books to come. Erin has something to prove by going her own way and making her business venture work and Marissa is already a force to be reckoned with. I seriously want to see Cookie and Marissa together, which would be an interesting development considering the history between the families. Read the book to find out what I mean.

This book succeeds in what I believe it intended to, a great story AND giving a comprehensive background of all the major players in the Port Arlene universe. You close the back cover knowing exactly who Jamie is, the role Cookie plays and who the various elements to watch out for in town. Deuce, the bulldog, is as great and needed addition to the family by giving comic relief and showing another side of Jamie instead of the tougher PI side.

I give this a 4.5 out of 5 only because it took me a couple of chapters or so to get into the story. So you guys keep reading and you will really enjoy the world building Laura creates.

I definitely want to review future Jamie Rush stories.

Get DAUGHTERS OF BAD MEN at Amazon by clicking the “BUY ON AMAZON” link in the Amazon Book Cover Image below.

Make sure to connect with Laura Oles through her website https://lauraoles.com/ and on Twitter at @lauraoles

ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Laura Oles is a photo industry journalist who spent twenty years covering tech and trends before turning to crime fiction.
She has published over 200 articles in retail and consumer magazines and
has served as a columnist for Digital Camera Magazine, Memory Makers Magazine, Picture Business, PhotoInduced, Cafe Mom) and others. Her book, “Digital Photography for Busy Women,” was named a photography category finalist in USA Book News.com’s ‘Best Books’ awards.
Laura’s short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including
Murder on Wheels, which won the Silver Falchion Award in 2016. Her debut mystery, Daughters of Bad Men, was a Claymore Award Finalist. She is also a Writers’ League of Texas Award Finalist. Laura is a member of Austin Mystery Writers, Sisters in Crime and Writers’ League of Texas.
Laura lives on the edge of the Texas Hill Country with her husband, daughter and twin sons. When she isn’t writing or working, you’ll find her serving as the family Uber driver or at her kids’ sporting events.
After several years of watching soccer, she still can’t tell when a player is off sides. She spends too much money in bookstores. Visit her online at https://lauraoles.com.

Murder Without Pity #Bookreview

Title: Murder Without Pity
Author: Steve Haberman
File Size: 623KB
Print Length: 319
Publication Date: May 5, 2012
Sold by Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
Formats: Kindle
Goodreads
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime

Murder Without Pity is a slow-moving suspense, told in a way that makes you want to turn the pages and keep going. If I had the chance to read it in one night, then I probably would have. It wasn’t even the mystery portion of this novel that I enjoyed so much, although I enjoyed trying to solve the crime before reaching the ending. While I had a few suspects in mind, I feel that there could have been a little more foreshadowing or red herrings to help solve the mystery. As a mystery author myself, I certainly understand how hard it is to throw in red herrings without giving the plot away. There were, however, enough twists to keep me yearning for more.

This story was much more than just solving the strange murder of a man. The investigator, Stanislas Cassel, spends a good amount of his time interacting with the people of France, hoping they either won’t judge him or they just don’t know that he’s the grandson of a French propagandist for the Nazis during their WWII operation. This part of his family’s past mortifies him, so Cassel attempts to avoid anything political and hopes no one will recognize him. Of course, we all know that’s not always possible. And as Cassel continues his investigation, he finds himself in the midst of a larger wickedness beyond the small crimes he prefers to investigate.

This wasn’t a book where you can easily skim a few words here and there…let’s face it, we all tend to do that, whether we mean to do so or not. If you’re focusing on solving the mystery, then it’s possible something would be missing between the lines on the pages. Even reading carefully, I’m sure I missed a thing or two. And if you’re only along for the ride to enjoy the beautiful scenery that’s portrayed, then skipping around will force you to miss out. I’ve never been to France, and as someone who would like to one of these days, I felt I had a good idea of what Paris was like during the time this story takes place. The writing splayed across my mind as though I was watching a movie. It was so beautifully descriptive, whether it was about the thick fog smothering the city or Cassel’s thoughts.

I would most certainly enjoy reading more from this author.

Overall rating: 4 of 5 stars

Biography

A University of Texas graduate, Steve Haberman pursued legal studies at UCLA before embarking on a career as a legal assistant. Profitable stock market investments made travel abroad possible, and he has since visited Europe extensively and frequently, including London, Paris, Prague, Berlin, as well as Milan and Budapest. Many of these feature as settings in his two e-book novels. “Murder Without Pity,” a murder mystery with tragic echoes from the past, occurs in Paris. “The Killing Ploy” (with heavy overtones of “fake news” before that was topical) is set partially in several Continental capitals. His two works in progress, “Darkness and Blood,” the sequel to “The Killing Ploy,” and “Winston Churchill’s Renegade Spy” also use foreign locales. He is presently planning another three month trip abroad for research on a fifth thriller, this one set in the post World War II apocalyptic ruin of the German capital.

*For more book reviews, click here.*

Devil in the Countryside @CoryBarclay #bookreview

Title: Devil in the Countryside
Author: Cory Barclay
Print Length: 348
Publication Date: February 15, 2017
Sold by Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
Formats: Kindle, Paperback
Goodreads
Genres: Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, Mystery

It’s very rare that I would be tempted to give any book more than a five-star rating. If I did do that, then Cory Barclay’s Devil in the Countryside would be one of the few. It’s 1588, and a killer is terrorizing the German countryside. It’s rumored to be the legendary Werewolf of Bedburg. Investigator Heinrich Franz is assigned to find the killer, seeking help wherever he can get it. A priest attempts to keep the peace amongst the townspeople, while he attempts to fight against the temptation of a young woman that could destroy his most basic beliefs. They find themselves wrapped in mysteries, steering through the political and religious landscape of the 16^th century.

Devil in the Countryside was an extremely tightly written novel, keeping me on my toes the entire time I was reading. I did not want to put it down. The characters were three-dimensional and realistic…very memorable. In my minds-eye, the book played like a movie. I felt as though I was watching the scenes unfold so much, that at times, I had to remind myself that I was in the 21^st century. I felt it was that good.

You’ll not only want to find out who—or what—is piling corpse after corpse, you’ll want to find out what secret these characters are withholding from everyone else. You’ll want to find out if they can force temptation out of their minds. You’ll want to find out everything you can about this book.

The story is action-packed from the second it begins until the ending, leaving the reader on the edge of their seat. There were times when the dialogue didn’t seem up to par with the time; however, that didn’t even matter. The scenes were painted beautifully. For readers that enjoy historical fiction, werewolf hunts, and murder, I recommend giving Devil in the Countryside a try. It’s a must-read!

Overall Rate: 5 out of 5 stars

For more book reviews, visit https://angelakaysbooks.com/book-reviews/.

Biography

As far back as he can remember, Cory Barclay has always loved the “big picture” questions. How much knowledge did humanity lose when the Library of Alexandria was burned down? Why has the concept of Heaven remained intact, in one form or another, throughout most of human history and how has it impacted life on Earth?

And even before that, when he first began writing stories in grade school, he’s been fascinated with histories and mysteries. Whether Norse mythology, the Dark Ages, or the conquests of great leaders, Cory’s been that kid who wants to know what’s shaped our world and write about it. Especially the great unsolved mysteries.

So Devil in the Countryside was a natural for him.

Born and raised in San Diego, he graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz, where he studied Creative Writing and Modern Literary Studies. He’s also a songwriter and guitarist, and – no surprise – many of his songs explore the same topics he writes about – the great mysteries of our crazy world.

Devil in the Countryside is his second novel and he’s hard at work on its sequel.

Book Reviewers Wanted!!

Hey, guys! I’m looking for some reviewers willing to add one or two of my books to their queue! The first novel, The Murder of Manny Grimes, needs five reviewers, while its sequel, Blood Runs Cold, needs ten. They are both standalone novels. They both have a slight Christian slant, as well as paranormal, but neither are heavy on those topics.

Blood Runs Cold is now available and it would be great if I could scrounge up some reviews on both Goodreads and Amazon, as well as your blog. So far, my early readers has said Blood Runs Cold is just as good, if not better, than its predecessor, which has had 14 awesome reviews.

Contact me at angelakaysbooks@gmail.com if you are interested in reading one or even both stories.

The Murder of Manny Grimes–5 reviewers

Blood Runs Cold–10 reviewers

The format, unfortunately, is PDF, as I do not have a mobi file. However, it can still be read on your e-readers just like the kindle/nook version.

I would greatly appreciate your help in this matter!

Angela

When three young boys stumble into Lieutenant Jim DeLong’s life one night during a winter storm, they claim they’ve seen a dead body by the swing sets of the Columbia County Elementary School. After he investigates, DeLong sees no evidence, not even a body. But were the boys telling the truth?

With the help of his oldest friend and mentor, former Naval investigator Russ Calhoun, DeLong sets out to find whether Manny Grimes is alive or dead. The further away he gets to the bottom of the mystery, the closer he comes to realize that his own life is falling apart.

Delving deeper into the murder of Manny Grimes, Lieutenant DeLong begins to unravel, losing his sense of control, falling into old temptations he spent years to overcome. Will he be able to move past his own demons and untangle the web of lies before it’s too late?

A young woman has been murdered at the Savannah Rapids
Pavilion and Lieutenant Jim DeLong realizes at first sight this
case will be the most difficult one of his career. DeLong is immediately swept into the memories of his childhood and dark
secrets he’s longed to forget. The victim is his sister-in-law, and old thoughts he’s fought to delete will be resurrected whether he likes it or not. With no clear motive, DeLong questions his ability on whether he’s able to remain objective.

A BIT MORE

Praise

About ROBERT STEVEN GOLDSTEIN

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We are doing a tour–wide giveaway of an ebook of DEATH IN DUTCH HARBOR. D. MacNeill has THREE to give away, open worldwide.

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8 QUESTIONS WITH Evy Journey

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6 QUESTIONS WITH GARY BORN

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DESCRIPTION of Columbus and Caonabó: 1493-1498 Retold by Andrew Rowen.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE JUDAS ROBE by Larry Rodness

A BIT ABOUT WHO IS IN THE STORY

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DESCRIPTION OF AUNT IVY’S COTTAGE by Kristin Harper

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Biography

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Biography

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